* * * * *
“Jesus, it’s brilliant finally to have something to do,” Calder announced, sitting back in his chair and grinning broadly.
Callum studied his brother from his seat behind a desk cluttered with the remains of the meal they’d eaten there while going through intelligence reports and notes on interrogations. For hours, throughout all of this, except for when Caleb had escorted her to the bathroom, Sonia had sat silently in his lap, even when they ate.
Calder, Callum knew, if he had not been of royal blood, would undoubtedly be the leader of an insurrection. All wolves had an abundance of energy, a zest for life, strength in their opinions and none of them shied away from a fight.
Calder was all that and a great deal more.
Calder, more impatient and volatile even than Callum, was a brilliant warrior, if a flawed strategist, who appeared to be at his most relaxed in the middle of a bloody battle.
His brother, Callum decided, needed to find his fucking mate.
And his brother, Callum decided, once this was finished, would go on a quest to seek her. He’d hand down the order himself.
“Though,” Calder went on, his eyes flashing to Sonia before he grinned, “it’s disappointing that we’re not going to have the mating ceremony. You’d love that, Sonia,” he told her. “Our people like a good party and A Mating is the fucking best.”
“Maybe after this is over, Callum will give Sonia a ceremony,” Ryon suggested, his eyes soft on Callum’s mate.
Callum’s eyes were anything but soft on his cousin.
Jesus, if he didn’t know better, he’d think Ryon had a thing for her.
“A Royal Mating is even better,” Caleb threw in, also grinning at Sonia. “A fucking blast.”
Sonia grinned back at Caleb and Callum’s arms gave her a squeeze to capture her attention.
This worked, her face swung to his.
“Would you like that, little one?” he asked gently.
She regarded him a moment before she shrugged.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he told her and she nodded. Callum looked at Saint. “Are our quarters prepared?”
Sonia’s body jerked in his arms but Callum’s attention was on Saint who was answering. “Yes, actually. They have been since you arrived. Mona ordered it.”
“At least she did something,” Caleb muttered and Saint laughed.
“Callum,” Ryon called and Callum’s gaze swung to his cousin and saw his eyes were still on Callum’s bride. “Since this is going to go down here, and you’ll likely be here awhile, why don’t you stay at Sonia’s?”
At Ryon’s words, Sonia instantly relaxed in Callum’s arms and he caught her throwing Ryon another very grateful smile.
“Fuck, Ryon, what are you on about? The king always stays at the mansion,” Calder put in.
“Yes, and a female of our kind would know and be prepared for that,” Ryon replied patiently. “A human, being initiated to our culture which is probably a bit overwhelming, Calder, might like the comforts of home while she gets oriented.”
Sonia pressed together her lips and sighed, clearly agreeing with his cousin.
Callum would never have considered this. Then again Callum had very little experience with female humans except, of course, fucking them.
“Would you like to go home, Sonia?” he asked, her head tipped back instantly and she nodded, this time happily, with her eyes bright on him, to which he smiled and murmured, “Then we’ll take you home.”
Which was somewhere they were going now.
It was high time for her injection and, after their play this morning, he was impatient to have her again.
Further, the idea of having her in her sweet, welcoming bedroom lit by Christmas lights was an idea he liked greatly. He just hoped the cleaners he’d commanded to be sent to her house had successfully scoured away all traces of the bloody mess he’d made of her two attackers as he’d ordered them to do.
He stood, taking Sonia with him and setting her on her feet. “Calder, you’re off tonight,” he told his brother and Calder nodded. He then looked at Saint. “We’ll meet tomorrow to discuss the turnover.” Saint lifted his chin and Callum then looked at Ryon and Caleb. “You know what to do.” They both nonverbally indicated they understood his order.
Then he took Sonia’s hand and led her from the room.
His SUV was at the bottom of the steps where he’d left it and he helped Sonia into her seat before taking his own, starting the truck and pointing them toward her farmhouse.
He’d driven several miles before the silence in the cab caught his attention and it finally occurred to him that Sonia had another full, turbulent, likely mystifying day.